July 2026
Starting from:
£99 + VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference examined next steps for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the UK.
The agenda drew out latest thinking on delivery of the UK's first CCUS clusters as projects move from financial close into construction, alongside priorities for future deployment across the UK. Discussion considered investment conditions, commercial frameworks, infrastructure development, supply chains, workforce requirements and access to transport and storage networks, as well as the evolving policy and regulatory landscape and the role of CCUS within wider decarbonisation plans.
It brought together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss next steps as HyNet and the East Coast Cluster move from financial close into early construction, and as the Government consults on the future design of the carbon transport and storage system, alongside launch of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Non-Pipeline Transport Pathfinder.
Sessions assessed implications of recent regulatory and commercial developments as projects move towards delivery, including updated minimum capture rate requirements, revised termination thresholds for sustained underperformance, and the CMA’s subsidy referral for the Viking project. Discussion considered how these frameworks are operating in practice and implications for project delivery, investment decisions and future deployment.
Issues for cost control were considered, as well as allocation of risk between developers and the public sector, and how projects are judged to be delivering value. Attendees also looked at how assumptions on performance, timelines and cost are treated within existing support arrangements, including implications for public exposure where projects underperform.
Alignment of CCUS within the UK’s wider net zero framework were examined in this context, including its role in hard-to-abate sectors and considerations for how deployment is prioritised alongside other decarbonisation approaches. Attendees also considered implications for industrial decarbonisation and competitiveness in sectors expected to make use of carbon capture and storage infrastructure. Implications of plans to introduce the recently announced Energy Independence Bill were also discussed, alongside associated reform to energy market design, infrastructure delivery and investment frameworks.
Commercial frameworks, funding & investment
Delegates examined what is needed to support project delivery as clusters move into construction - assessing how commercial frameworks, revenue models and regulatory arrangements operate in practice, and how far they provide a stable basis for investment as projects progress.
Areas for discussion included how high upfront capital costs are managed, and questions around the reliance of projects on long-term public support. Attendees considered the sustainability of funding frameworks under changing fiscal conditions and political priorities, alongside what this may mean for investor confidence in circumstances where policy or contract terms evolve.
The agenda also assessed implications of uncertainty around future revenues for risk allocation between developers, investors and the public sector, and the potential effects on financing decisions and the pace of deployment.
Project delivery, sequencing & cluster development
Lessons from Track-1 projects moving into construction were assessed, including early experience of delivery and what this indicates for cost, timelines and risk. Attendees considered implications for Track-2 projects, including readiness for final investment decision, and the effects of sequencing on projects not yet connected to operational transport and storage networks.
Further discussion was expected on the outlook for Acorn and Viking, including implications of the CMA’s subsidy referral and the extent to which uncertainty around policy and commercial arrangements may affect confidence in progressing towards final investment decision.
Infrastructure development, capacity & system integration
Further sessions examined the investment, supply chain, workforce, and infrastructure requirements associated with the planned expansion of CCUS deployment, including access to transport and storage networks for projects beyond Track-1 clusters and how capacity is allocated as demand grows.
Discussion considered how infrastructure requirements are expected to evolve as deployment scales, including implications for network availability, project sequencing and access for later-stage developments. Attendees assessed how constraints in procurement, logistics and delivery capacity may affect timelines and costs, alongside implications of large-scale capture facilities for electricity demand and wider power system planning within industrial clusters.
The agenda also looked at approaches to developing and coordinating pipeline and storage infrastructure, including choices around scaling networks over time and the implications for cost, risk and access, particularly where decisions are taken on early in capacity build-out.
Community priorities, public confidence & responsibilities going forward
The local impacts of CO2 pipeline infrastructure on communities were discussed, looking at land use, compulsory purchase and safety considerations, alongside approaches to engagement and transparency. Further sessions considered questions around long-term storage liability, including how responsibility transfers from operators to the state, and implications for monitoring, insurance and long-term stewardship.
As well as key stakeholders, those attending included officials from the Climate Change Committee; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Department for Business and Trade; Department for Education; Department for the Economy, NI; Ministry of Defence; Office for Environmental Protection; Environment Agency; Government Office for Science; Great British Energy; Health and Safety Executive; HM Treasury; Marine Management Organisation; Maritime and Coastguard Agency; National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority; Planning Inspectorate; National Cyber Security Centre; National Wealth Fund; Office for Investment; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Isle of Man Government; Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, ROI; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
